The story of the Elephant and the Blind Men is an ancient Indian tale used by the Buddha to illustrate the problems with attaching oneself to only one religious opinion or theological view.

Buddhism defines six realms of existence that beings may be born into based on karma, from a god-realm to hell. Learn what these realms are, and why a human birth is considered the most auspicious.

Tibetan Buddhism delineates six 'bardos', or states of consciousness, that we experience, including three states that occur at death and between births. This article describes each, and briefly explains the teachings commonly referred to as the 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'.

The Novice is the first widely published fiction offering by revered Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In this profound novella, he retells a Vietnamese folktale about a young woman who disguises herself as a male monk in order to study the dharma, and bears great hardship with equanimity.

The Eightfold Path is a foundation teaching of Buddhism, the last of the Four Noble Truths, offering the Buddha's teachings on how we can cease suffering and awaken. This article offers a brief overview of each aspect.

'We are what we think.' This first line of the Dhammapada, one of the foremost records of the Buddha’s teachings, is often quoted by supporters of the Law of Attraction. But are contemporary teachings on the Law of Attraction compatible with Buddhism?

Some branches of Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, adhere to the idea that we are currently in a cycle of time called the Kali Yuga, often compared to Christian end-days or '2012'. Learn more about the Kali Yuga and what Buddhism teaches regarding it in this article.

The Kalama Sutra is one of the more well-known of the Buddha's discourses, taught within all Buddhist branches. It is sometimes called the 'charter of free inquiry' because it urges us not to accept religious teachings on faith alone, but instead to test them against our reason and practice.

The Heart Sutra is one of the most well-known Buddhist teachings. Brief and direct, the Heart Sutra outlines the path to prajna-paramita, or perfect wisdom, which might be understood as a direct knowledge of reality without mental modifications.

The current Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan people, is in his 70s, triggering concerns about who will succeed him and how they will be chosen. He has also recently resigned from the political aspect of his role. Learn why and what that means.